Climate Change: Local Action. City Bonds. Innovation. Frederick, Maryland aldermen to consider climate agreement, $55M bond sale

 

https://www.fredericknewspost.com/news/economy_and_business/real_estate_and_development/frederick-aldermen-to-consider-climate-agreement-55m-bond-sale/article_4e41c47d-810d-54e5-8d0f-0fd28d631210.html Frederick aldermen to consider climate agreement, $55M bond sale ·        By Ryan Marshall rmarshall@newspost.com Frederick's aldermen are expected to vote Thursday on authorizing a $55 million bond sale for the city and on joining Frederick County in a community climate plan. The bond sale scheduled for December would fund a variety of capital projects for the city, including helping to fund the redevelopment of the future home of the Frederick Police Department. The Community Climate Action Plan would join the city with the county and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments in an agreement outlining actions to reduce the city and county's carbon footprints, improve air and water quality, and help create climate mitigation and adaptation strategies The aldermen are scheduled to vote on both items during their meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday in City Hall. The climate agreement builds on several previous plans, including a city plan for dealing with the effects of climate change on its own facilities, said Jenny Willoughby, Frederick's sustainability manager. The plan identifies specific actions to help the city's most vulnerable communities, which will be among the most exposed to the impacts of climate change, Willoughby said. The city will use its equity emphasis areas to help identify vulnerable communities for direct action, but the efforts will also help other communities, as well, she said. Equity emphasis areas are census tracts with large numbers of low-income or traditionally disadvantaged populations or groups, used by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. The work will include finding potential sites for installing solar facilities, looking for potential locations for cooling centers to help residents deal with extreme heat, and conducting an air-quality study, she said. Once the agreement is approved, the city's Sustainability Department will coordinate with the county's Department of Energy and Environment and the Council of Governments to start the planning work. County environmental officials could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Some parts of the study will help provide data that could lead to further actions later, Willoughby said. “We want to operate as much as we can with data that's specific to Frederick,” she said. Bond sale Another vote on Thursday night would approve an ordinance allowing the sale of up to $55 million in general obligation bonds to fund capital projects in the city. The city has various projects in its long-term Capital Improvements Program in various stages of development, from planning to design or construction, said Katie Barkdoll, director of budget and administration. It usually tries to borrow money when a series of projects is close to start construction, so the money can be put to use quickly once it's borrowed, she said. Once the aldermen authorize the bond sale, the city must wait at least 20 days before it can take place, Barkdoll said. The bond sale is currently scheduled for Dec. 6. More than $26 million from the sale is slated to go toward the renovation of a new home for the Frederick Police Department at 100 E. All Saints St. Other projects expected to receive funding include: improvements to the intersections of Yellow Springs Road and Tuscanney Drive and Rosemont Avenue and Baughman's Lane upgrades to the city's water distribution system identifying and developing potential new sources of water for the city stream restoration projects stormwater management in the area around Motter Avenue flood control in the area around Carroll Creek. Follow Ryan Marshall on Twitter: @RMarshallFNP

Center for Disaster Philanthropy. Indigenous land management webinar. Nov. 9, 2023 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT.

Indigenous land management: Decreasing disasters and increasing resilience

Nov. 9, 2023
2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT

Within the continental United States, the colonization of Indigenous tribes led to the loss of 99% of previously managed Indigenous land.

The new ‘tribal lands’ – usually undesirable areas tribes were forced onto – are areas that are more at risk of climate change and natural hazards. One study found that Native Americans living in tribal communities now face exposure to increased heat, drought and wildfires.

Indigenous management and conservation of land, both traditional methods and new technologies, are critical to protecting the world’s natural environment from increased degradation due to climate change.

Globally, Indigenous people have stewardship of one-quarter of the world’s land surface spread across 87 countries.

During this webinar, panelists will explore the links between colonization, environmental justice, the landback movement, and natural hazards and extreme weather. They will discuss why it is important for Native Hawaiians to retain access to traditional land after the wildfire disaster in Lahaina this year. And they will explore how funders can support tribal communities to improve land conservation efforts and fight climate change.

At the end of the webinar, grantmakers will:

• Understand how colonization increased the risk of disasters for tribal communities.

• Increase their awareness of how post-disaster gentrification results in land loss for traditional communities.

• Learn the importance of supporting Indigenous land management as part of a holistic approach to equitable disaster recovery.

While primarily aimed at funders, it may also interest emergency managers, government staff, academics, disaster responders and nongovernmental organization staff interested in or working on disasters and other crises.

 Tanya Gulliver-Garcia, CDP director of learning and partnerships, will moderate the discussion.

Panelists (Additional panelists will be added as they are confirmed.):

• A. Uʻilani Tanigawa Lum, Assistant Professor, William S. Richardson School of Law

This webinar is co-sponsored by Alliance Magazine, Council on Foundations, PEAK Grantmaking, United Philanthropy Forum, Giving Compass, Native Americans in Philanthropy, The Funders Network, Philanthropy New York and Philanthropy California.

Automatic closed captioning will be available via Zoom during the webinar. The webinar will be recorded and posted on this page. We will email the link to the fully captioned recording to everyone who registered.

CDP is striving to increase the accessibility of its webinars. Please email Katie Huang and let us know what accommodations you need by November 1; we will do our best to meet your needs as feasible.

Photo: Flooding in White Swan, a community on the Yankton Sioux reservation in South Dakota. Credit: Walks on the Day Foundation 

GET INVOLVED! LA County, California. Board & Commissions Opportunities

Departments, Commissions & Agencies

The structure of government in Los Angeles County is very complex, with 500 political districts having varying responsibilities and constituencies. These are sometimes referred to as "separate but related agencies." They may be city councils, school boards, transportation agencies, water districts, air quality districts, cemetery districts, sanitation boards, or a myriad of other special districts. Many are headed by elected officials, while others have appointed members. Additionally, within the County government, there are 37 departments and approximately 200 committees and commissions. Government of the people, by the people and for the people is an appropriate description for L.A. County.

http://www.lacounty.gov/wps/portal/lac/government/departments

List of Agencies

There are numerous agencies that perform services for residents that are not under the jurisdiction of the Board of Supervisors. These are sometimes referred to as county-related agencies.

List of Departments

There are 37 departments within the County of Los Angeles. Some report directly to the Board of Supervisors, while others report through the Chief Executive Officer.
Los Angeles County Organizational Chart   |   Principal Administrative Head, Photos   |  Principal Administrative Units, Functions   |  Salaries   |  

List of Commission/Committees

The Board of Supervisors has established numerous committees and commissions to involve the public in County-related issues and to advise and make recommendations to the Board on those issues.
Commission Fact Sheets   |   Commission Publications   |  Commission Services

Debris: Space Debris. Keeping Space Clean and Safe for Everyone: The Global Sustainability Mission. Tuesday, November 14

 Register Here:  https://www.bigmarker.com/access-intelligence-llc1/Keeping-Space-Clean-and-Safe-for-Everyone-The-Global-Sustainability-Mission?utm_bmcr_source=Omeda20231101 

Keeping Space Clean and Safe for Everyone: The Global Sustainability Mission

About

As we’ve mentioned in previous episodes, there is always an inherent risk when doing anything in space. That said, a handful of space sustainability-minded companies are working hard to minimize those risks and prevent self-inflicted catastrophes. In this episode, we’ll learn about the true scope of the threat posed by space debris, congestion and the lack of situational awareness and about the technologies and solutions being deployed to keep space clean. We’ll also explore the value of space sustainability economy itself, and how government and private investment in green space tech will pay off in the future.

60-minute webinar

When

Tuesday, November 14, 2023 · 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time (US & Canada) (GMT -5:00) 

Presenters

Jeffrey Hill

Executive Editor, Via Satellite

Patricia Cooper

President & Founder, Constellation Advisory, LLC

Patricia Cooper is a leading expert on satellite communications, regulation and space policy, and is the founder of the space consultancy, Constellation Advisory, LLC.

For six years, Cooper led Government Affairs for the Starlink satellite broadband constellation project at Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX). As Vice President, Patricia secured Federal Communications Commission authorization for a record 12,000 satellites, and market access to offer high-speed broadband services in more than 20 countries. She also advocated for sensible updates to spectrum, telecom competition and space safety regulations in the US and internationally, in order to support the new generation of satellite networks. Today, Starlink serves over a million users worldwide with a constellation of over 4,000 satellites

Prior to SpaceX, Patricia was Intelsat’s Vice President of Government Affairs & Policy, heading up U.S. and international policy and U.S. Congressional lobbying activities for the world’s second largest geostationary satellite fleet. Before that, Patricia led the Satellite Industry Association (SIA), the leading trade organization representing U.S. satellite operators, manufacturers and service providers. As SIA President, Patricia advocated for the industry in regulatory and national security arenas, fair trade and competition rules internationally, and spearheaded a successful bipartisan, bi-cameral legislative initiative to reform export controls for satellites.

Patricia previously served at the U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s International Bureau, both as Senior Satellite Competition Advisor and Branch Chief for Regional & Bilateral Affairs. Before that, Patricia directed international market access for two start-ups – CoreExpress, an Internet fiber infrastructure company, and PanAmSat Corporation, a disruptor in the early geostationary satellite services market that gained global prominence and eventually merged with Intelsat. She began her career at the U.S. Department of Commerce as an International Trade Specialist for the satellite industry and telecom markets in Latin America.

Cooper is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Space, the Hague Institute of Justice’s Off World Council, and the advisory committee for the International Astronomical Union’s Centre for the Protection of Dark & Quiet Skies. She previously served on expert advisory committees for the FCC, U.S. Departments of State, Commerce and Homeland Security, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the International Telecommunications Union. She has testified often before the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament, and participates regularly in United Nations and International Telecommunications Union fora on spectrum, space and economic development.

Patricia holds a Master’s Degree with Distinction in International Economics from the John Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and Bachelor’s Degrees in Political Science and German from Kansas State University (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa).

The Smell of Money. ‘It’s so fucked up and unbelievable,’ The Fight To Take On ‘Unbelievable’ Pig Farm Pollution

BOYCOTT FACTORY FARMS

The Smell of Money: The Fight To Take On ‘Unbelievable’ Pig Farm Pollution

By Radheyan Simonpillai, writes in The Guardian:

“Rural residents in east North Carolina are being shit on. That’s the crude but literal way to put the very grave injustice captured in The Smell of Money, Shawn Bannon’s infuriating documentary about the harm committed by factory farming against humans, animals and the environment.

The film captures the toxic hog waste produced in North Carolina’s concentrated animal feeding operations, which is then sprayed across fields near people’s homes, producing a foul and debilitating stench that has severe health impacts. Longtime residents like Elsie Herring and Rene Miller (who spoke out in a Guardian investigation on the same issue) are among the few who resiliently stand their ground and continue to fight back. They do so despite police harassment, intimidation and other insidious attempts to silence them in a state where many citizens are employed by the same industry.

‘It’s so fucked up and unbelievable,’ says Bannon, responding to how the mostly Black residents, whose ancestors lived on the same land since the days of slavery, are slowly being suffocated by pig feces, while most of the US ignores the problem.”

Watch the trailer: The Smell of Money

Read more about this powerful documentary

https://vimeo.com/684063896

Latino Farmers & Ranchers International, Inc.
Email: latinofarmers@gmail.com
Twitter: @farmerslatino 
www.LFRINC.org.